First shop at the kiosk

I was out and about this afternoon, walked quite a bit within the city. I was wrapping up my to-do list and I wanted to get some fresh produce. Rather than walking to the larger market, I decided that this would be an opportune time to try the kiosk in front of our apartment for the first time.

I asked the woman working there if she spoke "Engleski" to which she responded in the negative but with a smile. From that point forward, there was a lot of pointing and holding up fingers for quantity. This was the result for all of 2 euros:

I have to be honest and admit that there have been a couple of occasions where my inner microbiologists has shuttered in horror as I see items out in the open (in this case, loafs of bread perched precariously on a tiny window sill) and people obliviously waving their cigarettes over fresh produce. But what are you going to do?? When in Rome...or more like it, when in Podgorica...I think my inner micro-geek will have to go on a long vacation! =)

Small grocery shopping excursion

This afternoon I walked to the small grocery store that is maybe 5 minutes away from our apartment. I guess this place is a little more expensive than the large one near the Mall of Montenegro, but it is really convenient since it is so close. Plus, the infamous "North Wind" is blowing today and I decided it was best not to venture too far!

Here is the grocery store "Voli" (at least that is my name for it!) and right next to it is my bank:

These are the goods I bought just to tide me over for a bit:

Some recognizable brands include Barilla and Air Wick. That awesome loaf of bread only cost 1 euro in the bakery...yum! Thankfully, here in Montenegro they use quite a bit of different whole grains when making bread.

The return of banana oatmeal

As most of you know, I have a slight obsession with food; therefore, mixed among the travel/cultural posts, you are going to have to put up with some foodie posts.

So, for the inaugural foodie post, I bring you...Nutella Banana Oatmeal!

I found in the fridge what appeared to be oatmeal. It definitely was a grain but darker in appearance than the oatmeal in the States. I googled what was on the bag, "Razene" and "Pahuljice," and came across an online Croatian dictionary that told me that pahuljice can be translated as "flake" or "cereal flake." I figured that I had enough evidence to proceed with my plan.

The goods:

How cute is this carton of milk?!

Hmm...maybe I should invest in some sort of measuring device.

The final product:

The verdict? Delish!

Although, I may have just made Nutella Banana Oatmeal out of something that is traditionally eaten with meat and potatoes! Oh, well!! =)

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

I woke up to blue sky this morning! It has been raining for a long time here in Podgorica (even before I arrived); I saw evidence of flooding from the airplane window on my flight in here.

But today was gorgeous....still a bit cold but the air seemed so crisp and fresh. I wanted to take advantage of the great weather today because it is suppose to return to gray and rainy for awhile again so I spent the afternoon wandering around Podgorica and taking random pictures. Here are a select few...

The stairwell of our apartment is as colorful as the inside!

These shots are of the area just outside of our apartment, and there is a small kiosk right in front that sells fresh produce, drinks, etc. I guess that it is more pricey than the other markets but it sure is handy! "No banana for my oatmeal this morning? Maybe I should just run outside and buy some." I love it! There is also what appears to be a school next door with a cute little playground area.

This "fast food" place is right across our street and the most expensive item on their menu is some sort of omelet for 3 euros.

I am just so happy that the gorgeous weather allowed me to finally see the hills that surround this city. If I remember correctly, Podgorica means "under the hills."

Although it was quite disappointing to see so much garbage in one of the smaller rivers that runs through the city. I have been told that the concept of recycling is not on the top of peoples' priority lists here.

This is Millennium Bridge that crosses the Moraca River...this one seemed more free of garbage thankfully.

Here is a shopping area in the city center. Recently, there has been a large mall built outside of the city center which has negatively impacted this area. Some of the shops have had to close although it still looked fairly bustling on a Saturday afternoon.

This is the Mall of Montenegro, not to be confused with Delta City which I mentioned above (the one taking business away from the city center).

I went here this morning and there is a large supermarket as well as an amazing open market where you can buy fresh produce, fish, cheeses, etc. any day of the week. Much better than the weekly farmers' markets in the States, in my opinion! Most of the food in Montenegro is made with fresh, domestic produce...although "domestic" could mean grown in Croatia; I am told that Montenegro does not produce much on its own. Next time I head to the market I will have my camera in hand!!

Here is one of the government buildings...

Evidently government officials are well known as people, not just entities (e.g., someone may know the president personally). I guess we even saw a famous theater actor at the market this morning, mingling with everyone else. Famous people need to buy cheese too! The woman who has been showing me around the city was born and raised here in Podgorica (formerly known as Titograd), and there were numerous occasions where she stopped to say hello to people walking on the street. It seems to be an "everyone knows everyone" kind of place where they look out for each other. Even if you don't know someone, this concept of kindness is evident. For example, we went into a small shop looking for a map of the city; unfortunately, the shopkeeper did not have any but one gentleman overheard the conversation and kindly pointed us in the right direction as to where one could be bought.

And finally, here is Trg Republike, the city square.

I spent a good 2 hours wandering around our new city...everything is so accessible by foot and will make for a very comfortable lifestyle, I think. The larger supermarket may be a bit far when returning with grocery bags, but do not fear, a taxi ride back to the apartment will only set me back about 2 euros!!

Our apartment

I arrived here in Podgorica last night from Budapest after a 3-hour delay. A woman from Kaz's work and her husband picked me up at the airport. They actually own the apartment that we will be living in so they brought me right here and helped me settle in; she even stocked the fridge for me! The whole apartment is so adorable and colorful!

We are on the top floor of an older building...hence the slanted ceiling but look at those sky-lights!

I just have to adjust to having a European bathroom again. Need to be careful to ration the hot water! And no shower curtain = a challenge.

The bedroom has a double and a single bed...care to be a guest??

The hardwood floors are gorgeous and have that comforting creaking sound to them as you pad along in your socks.

The entryway:

And my current workspace:

That's the grand tour!!

Mini vaca thanks to American Airlines

I am currently sitting at our little dining room table in our adorable new apartment in Podgorica...I made it!! But not without some drama, of course!

My flight out of Chicago was delayed so that made me miss my connections in Brussels and Budapest. Before I left Chicago, American Airlines set me up on other flights to go through Vienna with Austrian Airlines but evidently they did not confirm them because when I got to Brussels, I could not get on the flights! But yet, somehow my suitcases were able to fly on ahead without me! Go figure. The next flights that I could take were on Thursday so I had to spend 2 nights in Brussels which, after a bit of stressing, I realized turned out to be pretty sweet...like a mini-vacation paid for by American Airlines. They put me up in the Sheraton right near the airport and gave me food vouchers for the restaurant there at the hotel. It was nice just to relax and allow my blood pressure to stabilize!

On Wednesday I took a bus from the airport to met up with a new friend for lunch at Place du Luxembourg near the European Parliament and then wandered the city in the afternoon. Saw the main sites at the center of the city...Catherdral of St. Michael, Palais Royal, Manneken Pis, le Grand Place, le Bourse...ate a gaufre, and shopped at Zara and H&M. Not too shabby!

Up next...introducing PODGORICA!!

On the move

This will be my view for the next few hours...


I am currently at Chicago O'Hare waiting for my flight that will take me to Europe...the adventure has begun! Kaz and I flew to O'Hare this morning from CWA, and he is already on his way back to Tokyo. I have quite a bit of time to kill before I hop-scotch from Chicago to Brussels to Budapest to my final destination of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.

So, the day has arrived and I am on my way! Well, in approximately 6 hours I will be...